Click Here for the full PDI Program
SATURDAY
March 8TH
9a.m. – 12p.m.
Followed by
a networking
lunch hour
9:00 to 9:30 Sign-in and Breakfast
9:30 to 9:50 Welcome Speaker
10:00 to 10:30 Session #1
10:40 to 11:10 Session #2
11:20 to 11:50 Session #3
12:00 to 12:30 Closing Remarks and Lunch
12:30 to 1:00 Networking Open House
M A P S
MORGAN ASSOCIATION OF PLANNING STUDENTS @MAPSChat | MorganStatePlanning@Gmail.com | MSUPlanning.wordpress.com
FREE
EVENT!
PRO FESS IONA L
D EV E LO PM ENT
I NSTITUTE
presents the 1st annual:
THE MORGAN ASSOCIATION OF PLANNING STUDENTS
Megan Griffith, MAPS President
Keynote: Dr. Linda C. Janey
Dr. Janey is an experienced administrator, intergovernmental coordinator, planner,
grants writer and advocate. She has a master’s degree in urban planning from
Morgan State University and a law degree from the University of Baltimore. Dr.
Janey is trained in alternative dispute resolution and counseling. As the Assistant
Secretary for the Maryland Department of Planning, she oversees the State
Clearinghouse for Intergovernmental Assistance Division, which under federal and
state Executive Orders, is the federal State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for federal
financial assistance and direct development activities occurring in Maryland. Dr.
Janey also has oversight of the State Redistricting Division which provides technical
assistance to the local boards of election, staffs the Governor’s Redistricting
Advisory Commission and coordinates the Redistricting statewide citizen outreach
efforts. In addition, she serves as the Governor’s alternate to the Appalachain
Regional Commission (ARC) and as a special assignment for the 2010 Census,
Dr. Janey developed, coordinated and implemented a very successful statewide
Census citizen outreach program. Currently Dr. Janey is pursuing a certificate in
Community Building Strategies at the University of Baltimore.
ATRIUM
WELCOME!
As the Founder and First President of the new Morgan Association of Planning
Students (MAPS), it is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the first MAPS
Professional Development Institute (PDI)! Whether you still have a few more
years of school left or already have your degree, we’re sure that you’ll find our
PDI an invaluable experience!
Please, enjoy some light breakfast and have a peek inside the Resource
Lounge. There, you’ll find a collection of career resources to take home. You
can also visit this room at any point today to watch streaming planning videos.
Who knows, you may even get insider resume tips, or spark a conversation with
your future employer or colleague in the Resource Lounge!
Next, be sure to browse the program and choose which sessions to attend.
Stick around afterward during the wrap up for some networking. We’ll also
have a panel—featuring MSU alumni Andrew Giraldi, Troy Leftwich, and
Cherise Orange, along with Lauren Good, AICP, of Young Planners—to answer
your questions about life after graduation (be sure to submit your questions at
the sign-in table!).
So, we’ve got a lot planned for you today. Are you ready? Of course you are!
Today, and in your future job hunting, we at MAPS wish you the best of luck!!
Session 1: Adventures in Job Hunting
Cindy Foster, Founder and Career Coach at B’More Hireable
Do you have a personal pitch? You should! Find out how you can create a pitch and hear some of
the best and most effective resume secrets. This talk will discuss preparing for the job hunt and
navigating today’s job market.
Session 2: What is the Secret to a Great Interview?
Cindy Foster, Founder and Career Coach at B’More Hireable
Hear about the ins and outs of the interview process. From preparation to execution, get advice
about interviewing (including how to talk about $$!).
Session 3: Make the Job Hunt Worthwhile
Tom McGilloway, Principal at Mahan Rykiel Associates
This session will address effective resumes, provide interview pointers, review portfolio
considerations (if applicable), and provide additional tips for investigating a position. The session
will offer general guidelines as well as strategies for planning candidates seeking work in a private,
multi-disciplinary design and planning firm.
Session 1: Public Versus Private Sector Planning
Jim Palma, AICP, Senior Manager, Research & Information at Maryland Department
of Business & Economic Development
There are real differences between public and private sector planning. So what are they? And
What are the similarities? Jim will talk about differences with regards to a planner’s responsibilities,
workloads, skill sets, the planning process, and much more.
Session 2: New Planners and AICP
Jackie Seneschal, President of the Maryland Chapter of the American Planning
Association; Senior Supervising Planner at Parsons Brinckerhoff, Baltimore
What is AICP and why is it important? In this session, Jackie will talk a bit about a planner’s career
strategies at different stages in a career—starting early, when thinking about the first job, and then
on to AICP Certification and why you’ll want to consider it.
Session 3: Job Hunting for Recent Landscape Architecture Graduates
Aaron Teeter, Principal at Floura Teeter Landscape Architects
Hear Aaron talk about what he would be looking for in a recent graduate who was applying for a job
at FTLA, and what a new hire might expect during their subsequent first year of work.
Session 1: Insights from a Planning Consultant
Chris Jakubiak, President of Jakubiak Town & City Planning
In this session, Chris will impart practical insights into the planning field. From the perspective of
his firm, which principally consults with municipal clients here in Maryland, Chris emphasizes the
multidisciplinary skill set that is needed in young planners.
Session 2: The Planning Process as a Career Guide
Jim Potter, Community Planner in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development’s Environmental Planning Division
Regarding the profession, there are things about being a planner that aren’t so obvious. For
example, your career plan needs to be flexible. You never know what your next job might be. Next,
many things planners encounter are process oriented. The planning process is very adaptable, and
it can be applied to a variety of circumstances. Hear James talk about the planning process as a
career guide.
Session 3: The Horseshoe Casino Master Plan – Data Driven Planning
Travis Pate, Planner II, Research & Strategic Planning, City Department of Planning
Travis will discuss the Horseshoe Casino project development from three stages: 1) collecting data
about the neighborhoods surrounding the Horseshoe casino, 2) collaborating with city agencies to
produce a series of data-based maps to use in public meetings for the purposes of developing a
Casino Area Master Plan, and 3) helping facilitate during those public meetings.
ROOM ONE ROOM TWO ROOM THREE
SPEAKER BIOS
Cindy Foster
Cindy has been in the recruiting and HR field for over 20 years. In 2010, she launched B’More
Hireable with the goal of helping individuals navigate this very challenging job market. Cindy offers
some of the same services you’ll find with any career coach—self-evaluation, resume writing and
interviewing—but she takes it a step further and offers services to help keep the job seeker motivated
and focused throughout the long and often frustrating job selection process.
Christopher “Chris” Jakubiak
Chris Jakubiak is President of Jakubiak Town & City Planning and has 23 years of experience. He holds
a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Illinois.
Tom McGilloway
Tom McGilloway is a Principal at Mahan Rykiel Associates, Inc. a landscape architecture, urban
design and planning firm located in Baltimore, Maryland. Tom is a 1984 graduate of The Pennsylvania
State University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Landscape Architecture. He has 29 years of
experience in planning and design of downtowns, neighborhoods, open spaces, streetscapes and
campuses throughout the United States. He has worked extensively with towns and “Main Street”
communities throughout the United States. He frequently speaks at Main Street, downtown, and
parks conferences. Recently, Tom led and completed a stakeholder based place-making open space
plan for Downtown Baltimore.
In addition to his professional experience, Tom is active in the preservation and revitalization of
his own community. He was an active board member of both the Neighborhood Design Center
(Baltimore) and Friends of Maryland’s Olmsted Parks and Landscapes; President of Hampden Village
Main Street, one of Baltimore’s Neighborhood Main Street programs; and currently serves on the
board of Friends of Wyman Park Dell and the Friends of Stony Run.
James “Jim” Palma
James Palma is a Senior Research Manager at Maryland Department of Business and Economic
Development. He has been active in the areas of demographic and economic policy research for over
15 years. Prior to joining DBED, Jim was a planner for the Maryland Department of Planning, where
he worked to support Census 2010 and PlanMaryland. Previous to this, Jim worked for a private
planning and engineering firm in Florida and was a researcher for a public policy institute at the
University of Massachusetts. Jim has presented at various conferences on topics such as the use
of Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics data in Smart Growth measurement and predicting
future land use needs for industrial development, as well as researching and authoring numerous
articles and studies. Jim received a B.A. in Political Science and an M.R.P. from the University of
Massachusetts at Amherst.
Travis Pate
Travis Pate is a Planner II with the City of Baltimore, Department of Planning. Travis researches
demographic trends in Baltimore and produces analytical maps for city agencies and the public. Travis
holds a Master’s of City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
James “Jim” Potter
Jim is a Community Planner in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s
Environmental Planning Division. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and
a Licensed Professional Planner in the State of New Jersey. He is the Department’s subject matter
expert on environmental noise. He manages compliance with the noise regulation (24CFR51B) and
airport clear zones (24CFR51D). He is HUD’s lead on implementation of Executive Order 12898 on
Environmental Justice. He serves on a variety of interagency committees and working groups most
notably the Federal Interagency Committee on Aircraft Noise, Environmental Justice Interagency
Working Group, and Coastal America.
Mr. Potter has been with the Department over 7 years. His previous professional experience was in the
private sector as a military master planner for 7 years and as a site designer with land development
engineering firms for 10 years. He earned a Master of Science in Environmental Management from
the University of Maryland University College and a Master of City and Regional Planning from
Morgan State University. Jim began his academic career with a BS from Towson State University in
Geography and Environmental Planning.
Active in the American Planning Association, Jim is a past president of the Maryland Chapter. Jim and
his wife, Sherri, are Baltimore natives and lifelong residents. They share a home with twin shepherds
Natty and Bo.
Jacquelyn “Jackie” Seneschal
Jackie Seneschal is the President of the Maryland Chapter of the American Planning Association.
She is a Senior Supervising Planner in the Baltimore office of Parsons Brinckerhoff. She is currently
working on assignments at the Maryland Transit Administration, where she is the in-house project
manager for a new rapid transit line in Southern Maryland. In addition, she has served for over ten
years a Senior Advisor at the Maryland Transportation Authority. She has assisted MDTA with tolling
policy, managing toll increases, opening new major facilities, organizational development challenges
and, most recently, with the development of an automated program for the enforcement of video
tolls.
Prior to joining Parsons Brinkerhoff; she worked as a local planner, as a county planning director and
as a program manager at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
She is a Maryland native with a Masters degree in Urban Planning and Policy Management from The
Johns Hopkins University. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.
Aaron Teeter
Aaron Teeter is a registered and LEED accredited landscape architect and Principal at Floura Teeter
Landscape Architects. His professional experience has been focused on site design for a variety of
project types including higher education, health care, mixed-use and streetscape design. Mr. Teeter
is currently the FTLA landscape architect for the Salisbury University Academic Commons and the
UMBC Central Lawn renovation.
Interested in being a MAPS Officer for the 2014-2015 Academic Year? This is
a great opportunity to establish yourself and be more involved in local planning
activities. More details forthcoming in the March 2014 MAPS Newsletter.
President + APA Student Representative | Megan Griffith
Vice President | Demond Brightful
Director of Social Media and Communications | Michael Burton
Director of the Emerging Professionals Institute | Andrew Giraldi
Secretary | Faro Hejazi
MAPS Faculty Advisor | Dr. Tonya Nashay Sanders
Many thanks to our wonderful sponsors!
Timonium Sam’s Club
15 Texas Station Ct
Lutherville, MD 21093
APA: Maryland Chapter
http://www.marylandapa.org
Morgan Association of Planning Students (MAPS) 
